New Year’s resolutions…..that’s what we hear about when we are in the first few days of January. What I want to know is why do we only make resolutions at the beginning of the year? Let’s be honest. Most of us have a grandiose idea of what we will do differently to better ourselves and it lasts in earnest maybe a week or two…..if we are being really honest……More than that, we make a list a mile long that again, if we are being honest, we can’t possibly accomplish. Best intentions, tremendous hope, positivity and a drive for improvement lead us to create a list of changes we want to make in our lives, of projects that need to be completed, and of relationships we want to prioritize. Out with the old and in with the new! Here’s the thing…..sometimes we need to remember the old to have perspective for the new. So that brings me back to my first question……why do we only create resolutions at the beginning of the year? Isn’t it possible, and even probable, that we would benefit from having resolve throughout the year? Perhaps we think of one or two things we’d like to focus on at a given moment; micro goals that provide us with a sense of accomplishment, while also allowing us to start anew. After all, if we spread our focus on ten different goals at once, are we really giving each goal our full attention? I know, I know…..if we scale back to one or two goals at once, how may we possibly prioritize on which of our endless list of changes we will focus first? This conundrum is precisely why so many of us throw our hands up and the so called New Year’s Resolutions become a distant memory. We become afraid, whether consciously or not, that by only focusing on one or two “changes” at a time, we will be judged for not having enough ambition, faith, courage; or that we are naive by thinking we only have one or two things to change. My thought is this: New Year, New Frame of Mind. For me, having a new frame of mind means that I allow myself to make resolutions throughout the year. Focus on one, maybe two, things at a time to enact change or improvement. As each micro goal is accomplished (or not), I will allow myself the opportunity to add a new goal. For those of us who are a bit anxiety prone, and yes that is me for sure, the micro goal allows us to try not to become overwhelmed with a list of everything that needs to occur. So, perhaps choose something relational, and something personal with which to have resolve to improve or change. The first step is focusing on self encouragement and affirmation. This means providing yourself with the belief that you’re worth every thought and feeling you possess. It’s important to give grace to yourself, just as you would everyone else. You deserve no less than what you give. One more thing……and this one is a very hard one to accept……allow yourself the grace, encouragement, faith and kindness (did I mention faith?) with each failure that you face. There will surely be failures. Yet, with each failure comes a tremendous opportunity for growth. And this brings me full circle to resolutions; to remembering the old that allows us to foster new. For with each failure, missed opportunity, challenging relationship, or financial misstep, we are given a nugget of clarity with which to weave together the intricacies of our lives. It’s intellectual gold, really. A fortune only amassed by growing within ourselves, within our own minds and applying to our daily lives. With faith, hope and determined resolve to live each new day better than the last, we are wealthy beyond money, but rather within spiritual and intellectual depth. At the end of the day, isn’t that the resolution that matters most?